ZGBriefs by Joann Pittman
Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs.
Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul (MN), and Chinese Culture and Communication at Wheaton College (IL) and Taylor University (IN).
Joann has a BA in Social Sciences from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul (MN), and an MA in teaching from the University of St. Thomas (MN).
She is the author of Survival Chinese Lessons and The Bells Are Not Silent: Stories of Church Bells in China.
Her personal blog, Outside-In can be found at joannpittman.com, where she writes on China, Minnesota, traveling, and issues related to "living well where you don't belong."
You can find her on Twitter @jkpittman.com and on Facebook at @authorjoannpittman.
She makes her home in New Brighton, Minnesota.
ZGBriefs | December 9, 2021
China’s Cultural Crackdowns: A guide (December 2, 2021, Sup China) From classrooms to phone screens to celebrity idols, the Chinese government is tightening its control over Chinese society.
ZGBriefs | December 2, 2021
Video: A Glimpse Into Yosemite’s Chinese History (October 20, 2020, Yosemite National Park) Ranger Yenyen Chan explores the role Chinese immigrants played in the early years of Yosemite National Park.
ZGBriefs | November 18, 2021
Weibo Discusses: How Has the Covid Epidemic Changed Your Life? (November 11, 2021, What’s on Weibo) The topic triggered thousands of comments from people sharing their thoughts and experiences, but the post that started the discussion (@人间投影仪) simply said: “I’d like to go back to a world where we don’t need to wear masks.”
ZGBriefs | November 11, 2021
Xi Jinping cements his power with resolution on history (November 10, 2021, MERICS) Meticulously worded and politically charged, it is a powerful document that determines the official narrative of party history and is to be used as an ideological guide for policies in the future.
ZGBriefs | November 4, 2021
Hopes for China Reopening Dashed by New Limits on Airline Flights This Winter (October 29, 2021, Skift) The world is slowly reopening for wider travel. China, for now, will not be part of that movement. Airlines are among those feeling the brunt.
ZGBriefs | October 28, 2021
China is removing domes from mosques as part of a push to make them more 'Chinese' (October 24, 2021, NPR) China is removing the domes and minarets from thousands of mosques across the country. Authorities say the domes are evidence of foreign religious influence and are taking down overtly Islamic architecture as part of a push to sinicize historically Muslim ethnic groups — to make them more traditionally Chinese.
ZGBriefs | October 21, 2021
Things Confucius Never Said (October 16, 2021, Sixth Tone) But the sayings quoted by your teacher, grandma, and “spiritual” friends may well never have actually been uttered by Confucius; or if they were, they could have been wildly misrepresented since his death.
ZGBriefs | October 14, 2021
Changing China: How Xi's 'common prosperity' may impact the world (October 9, 2021, BBC) One of the most visible consequences of common prosperity has been the refocusing of corporate China's priorities to the domestic market.
ZGBriefs | October 7, 2021
Hammered by Blackouts, China’s Rust Belt Grinds Down (October 5, 2021, Sixth Tone) Since September, high coal costs and inflexible electricity prices have caused shortages that forced local governments to implement rolling blackouts for energy-intensive industries.
ZGBriefs | September 30, 2021
China’s Housing Bubble Puts All Other Housing Bubbles to Shame (September 27, 2021, Bloomberg) Pyramid scheme, house of cards, Jenga tower with half the pieces missing, intoxicated teenager on stilts.